Basics

Where can I find information on new features in Creative Cloud?

You can learn all about the latest features in Creative Cloud on the overview page. To find out what’s in the latest version of each CC desktop app, check out each product’s page on Adobe.com.

Do I need to be online to access my desktop apps?

No, the desktop applications in Creative Cloud, such as Photoshop and Illustrator, are installed directly on your computer. So, you don’t need an ongoing Internet connection to use them.

An Internet connection is required the first time you install and license your apps. But, you can use the apps in offline mode with a valid software license. The desktop apps attempt to validate your software licenses every 30 days.

Annual members can use the apps for up to 99 days in offline mode. Month-to-month members can use the software for up to 30 days in offline mode.

How do I access the applications in Creative Cloud?

The applications are installed and run on your desktop, just like any other desktop application. The first time you download any of the individual creative apps, you automatically download Creative Cloud for your desktop. You use the Creative Cloud desktop app to access, download, and update any of the individual creative applications.

What is Adobe CreativeSync?

CreativeSync is the underlying technology in Creative Cloud that intelligently syncs your assets, fonts, photos, settings, Adobe Stock assets, and more. These items instantly appear in your workflow wherever you need them and in the right format. With CreativeSync, available exclusively in Creative Cloud, everything you need is always at your fingertips as you move from app to app or device to desktop.

Can I send files to people who don’t have a Creative Cloud membership? Will they be able to view or share the files?

Yes, you can share files you create with Creative Cloud apps like any other file through email, FTP, and so on.

Also, Creative Cloud sharing features let you share files with anyone by letting them view files in a browser. Viewers can turn layers on and off, see relevant metadata, comment, and even download files for editing.

As a Creative Cloud member, am I required to install an upgrade to a desktop application when it becomes available?

No, you can continue using your current version of the product as long as you have an active membership. You have flexibility on when and if you install a new release.

I currently have a previous, perpetual-licensed Adobe Creative Suite product edition on my computer. Can I use both my Creative Suite products and the Creative Cloud applications on my computer?

Yes. Your existing Creative Suite product installation is not affected by installing the CC product applications. For example, you can install and use the perpetually licensed Photoshop CS6 on the same computer as Photoshop CC.

When does my membership begin?

If you purchase your membership directly from the Adobe website, it begins when the Adobe Store fulfills the order. Get started by signing in to your account.

If you purchase your individual membership at a participating retailer or online store, it begins when you enter your redemption code on creative.adobe.com and click Get Started.

If you purchase a team membership through a reseller, your membership term begins when you add seats to your account.

What happens to my benefits if I decide to stop my membership?

You continue to have access to Creative Cloud member free benefits. And, if you saved your work to your computer, you continue to have access to those files on your own device. You no longer have access to the Creative Cloud desktop applications or most of the services that are components of a Creative Cloud membership.

What if I have problems downloading my software?

Can I use the software I download from Creative Cloud on more than one machine?

Yes. You can download and install Creative Cloud desktop applications on multiple computers, regardless of operating system. However, activation is limited to two machines per individual associated with the membership, and you may not use the software on these devices simultaneously.

Where can I get more information on managing my account?

Why is Adobe asking me to share information on how I use the Creative Cloud desktop apps?

With Creative Cloud, you have the option of sharing information with Adobe about how you use the CC desktop apps. This information lets us give you a more personalized experience, and helps us improve the quality and features of products. This option is turned on by default and the information is associated with your Creative Cloud account. You can change your preference at any time on your Adobe Account Management page.

Can I choose not to share information about how I use the Creative Cloud desktop apps?

Yes. You can choose not to share information about how you use the Creative Cloud desktop apps by setting your preferences on your Account Management page.

This setting applies to how you use the features within desktop apps, not to the services these desktop apps use, such as Behance or Typekit. These services are governed by their respective privacy policies and/or the Adobe Privacy Policy.

What information is shared and how does Adobe use it?

You can share the following types of information about how you use the Creative Cloud desktop apps:

System information, such as operating system, processor, and amount of memory installed

This information is associated with your Adobe ID and can be used to personalize the application experience, provide feature usage data to the product teams to help improve the product, and to communicate with you.

Your content, and information about the content within your files, is not shared with Adobe.

You can find an overview of how Adobe may use information associated with you in the Adobe Privacy Center.

What type of personalization is provided in Creative Cloud apps?

Users will see in-app learning content, which over time will provide personalized learning content based on how the application is used.

As we learn more about how the personalized learning content is used, we plan to expand the functionality to other Creative Cloud applications.

What options do Creative Cloud for teams, Creative Cloud for enterprise, and Creative Cloud for education members have for sharing information about how they use the Creative Cloud desktop applications?

If administrators install applications via Creative Cloud Packager using Enterprise IDs, the ability to share information with Adobe about using Creative Cloud desktop applications is disabled for members of the following: Creative Cloud for teams, Creative Cloud for enterprise, and Creative Cloud for education. It cannot be enabled.

However, if administrators let users install Creative Cloud applications via the Creative Cloud for desktop app using an Adobe ID, users can share information about how they use the applications. Users can change these preferences at any time by visiting their Account Management page.

In which countries can I purchase a Creative Cloud membership?

Which payment options can I use to purchase a Creative Cloud membership?

Credit card payment is accepted for Creative Cloud memberships in all supported countries. Payment via PayPal is accepted in only a few supported countries. See Payment options.

In which languages is Creative Cloud available?

The Creative Cloud website is available in English, Chinese Traditional, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish. Individual desktop apps and services may not be available in all these languages.

Can I purchase a membership for a single desktop application, such as Photoshop?

Desktop applications

Where can I find the latest information about the desktop applications in Creative Cloud?

Can the CC applications export to CS6?

Many of the Creative Cloud desktop applications let you export files to the Creative Suite 6 version of that same application. Adobe plans to continue to support the ability to export to CS6 in the applications that already have that capability. New features added to the desktop applications after CS6 may not be supported in the exported file, or by the CS6 application.

Which CC applications support export to CS6?

The following applications support the ability to export to the CS6 version of the application:

Photoshop

InDesign

Illustrator

Animate (earlier called Flash Professional)

After Effects

Applications not listed here may not support exporting to Creative Suite 6, and may not do so in future releases. New features added to the above list after CS6 may not be supported in the exported file, or by the CS6 application.

Which operating systems do the CC desktop applications run on?

Minimum system requirements for each Creative Cloud app can be found on the system requirements page.

Is Flash Professional included in Creative Cloud?

Yes. Flash Professional CC is now Animate CC and is still available in Creative Cloud. Flash Professional was renamed Animate, because it offers first-class support for publishing animations in HTML5 and other platforms in addition to Flash and AIR.

Past releases of Flash Professional dating back to CS6 remain available for Creative Cloud members. You can find them under Previous Versions in the Creative Cloud desktop app.

Updates and new versions

Can I install previous releases of Creative Cloud desktop applications?

Yes. About once a year, we archive a release of the Creative Cloud desktop applications. The archived versions can be installed in addition to the latest release and other archived releases.

You can find information on how to install previous versions of the Creative Cloud desktop applications here.

Storage and cloud services

What types of files can I store in Creative Cloud?

There are no restrictions on the file types you can store in Creative Cloud.

Can I share any kind of file from Creative Cloud?

There are no restrictions on the file types you can share from Creative Cloud.

What happens to my files in the Creative Cloud if I cancel or downgrade my membership?

Your Creative Cloud files are stored on your desktop as well as on the Creative Cloud servers. If you cancel or downgrade your paid membership, you still have access to all of the files in the Creative Cloud folder on your computer and via the Creative Cloud website.

Your account will be downgraded to a free membership, which includes 2 GB of storage. If you’re using more than 2 GB of storage, you won't be able to upload new files to the cloud. To upload new files, delete files on the Creative Cloud server until the amount of storage you're using drops below 2 GB.

If you're over your storage limit, you have 90 days to reduce your online usage. After 90 days, you could lose access to some or all of your files saved on the Creative Cloud servers.

Am I required to store my files in the cloud?

No, you can save your files wherever you choose—on your local hard drive, mounted drives, thumb drives, and so on. However, your Creative Cloud membership comes with cloud storage that you can choose to use for backups, link sharing, folder collaboration, and more. The Creative Cloud for desktop application makes it easy to synchronize your local files with your Creative Cloud storage. So if you choose to sync your files to Creative Cloud, you still retain a local copy of your files.

Free membership and trials

What’s included with a free Creative Cloud membership?

A free Creative Cloud membership gives you access to file syncing and sharing features and 2 GB of storage space. You also get some free services and access to free trials of Creative Cloud desktop applications.